My Apocalypse
by Ronnie West
Summary: Gilbert Beilschmidt and Matthew Williams find each other in the middle of a zombie outbreak. How will they survive their chilling adventure? PruCan, Rated for violence and...zombies in general. YAOI. Hetalia AU. Don't like, please do not read
1. Chapter 1

**Very funny story about how this began. I was on Omegle, looking for chatting. And I ran across a room where the person had an idea that there was a PruCan zombie apocalypse. We decided to stay in touch and continued to role play, and I thought that we should totally make a fan fiction of this~. So here it is. :3**

* * *

_the beginning_

Matthew clutched the hockey stick close to his chest, looking contently out the windows. The zombies roamed around the streets, dumbstruck. The outbreak had started a couple days ago, and Matthew had not yet seen any sign of his parents or Alfred.

Matthew looked at the stuffed bear on the couch and smiled. "Don't worry, Kuma. We'll be safe in here." However, even Matthew wasn't sure about that himself… He stared out the windows in disgust. The creatures were hideous; Most of their bodies rotted into a rust like complexion, they dragged their half-lame bodies, each in search of a meal. Matthew sighed and sat on the couch, continuing to clutch the hockey stick close to his chest.

"I'm sure we'll be fine…"

* * *

Gilbert hid in the bush, panting and trying to stay silent. He had taken refuge here for more than thirty minutes, watching the boarded windows and doors. There had to be someone inside the house. He huffed and decided that now would be a good time to try to get in the shelter.

He quickly got up and ran to the back, climbing up the porch railing to the barricaded door. He knocked on it, whistling in an attempt to ensure that whoever was in there that he was a survivor. "I'm alive out here…." He whispered, hoping to get more attention.

Matthew flinched and immediately got up, staring at the door. There were incoherent whispers and whistles, but Matthew couldn't tell if it was actually a person or just a zombie that had figured out a strategy to get an easy meal.

A zombie lifted its head, its half dissolved brain dripping down its exposed skull. It saw the figure on the porch and groaned a little, smelling the fresh flesh that was attached to the man. It tilted its head to the side and decided whether he was another zombie, or food. The decision wasn't that hard to make.

Food.

Gilbert looked at the zombie behind him and pounded more frantically on the door, raising his voice slightly. "C'mon! I'm a survivor, let me in!" he shouted.

The zombie lifted itself off the ground, slowly making its way to the porch, smelling the air. It groaned loudly, reaching towards the porch step, pulling itself up ever so slowly.

Gilbert quickly reached in his belt, pulling out his gun and cocking it, then pointing his weapon and the creature's head.

"Not today, bitch." He growled, pulling the trigger and watching the bullet fly through the zombie's skull. The monster fell to the ground, dead. Gilbert sighed, he really didn't want to waste a bullet, but it seemed he didn't have much of a choice at this point.

The yelling and banging on the door had made the other creatures question, but not enough that they would waste much of their energy trying to see what happened. The gunshot however, was another story. That ensured them that there must have been a living person in the area.

They began making their way towards the noise, at least fifty of them.

Gilbert noticed that he was slowly being surrounded as a few of the creatures dragged themselves to the back of the house. He frantically pounded on the door and shouted to whoever was in the house. "Let me in! There aren't any zombies out here yet! Just let me in, dammit!"

Matthew quickly unlocked the barricade, throwing his hockey stick to the floor and opening the door slightly, where the German immediately let himself in, panting a little. "Thanks, kid…," he murmured as the Canadian worked on placing the collection of chairs and tables back against the entrance.

Matthew smiled a little. "I couldn't just leave you out there… Do you have any supplies with you?" he asked quietly, motioning towards the backpack that was slung across his shoulder.

"Ja," Gilbert replied. "Ammo, canned food, water bottles." He thought for a moment, scratching his chin. "I think that's it." He grinned and stuck his hand out. "The name's Gilbert Beilschmidt. Who do I have the fine pleasure of addressing myself to?"

Matthew hesitantly took the hand in front of him, shaking it slightly before pulling away. "It's nice to meet you, Gilbert. My name is Matthew Williams…"

"Pleasure's all mine." He grinned, letting the heavy backpack slip from his shoulders and sighed in relief; the Canadian taking it and setting in on the counter. He searched through it, murmuring to himself.

"Are you here alone?" Gilbert asked after a few minutes when he was done looking through his backpack.

"Yes.." Matthew replied, staring at the ground, his voice quiet. "My parents were at work when the outbreak started and my brother, Alfred, was at a party." Matthew bit at his nails.

"I hope they're alright…"

"I'm sure they are fine, Mattie." Gilbert grinned, reaching a hand out and patting Matthew's shoulder lightly. "Don't worry about it."

Matthew blushed lightly at the Prussian's touch and backed away a little. "What about you…? Do you have any company?" Matthew honestly didn't want to have another heart attack. Gilbert arriving here made him startled enough.

Gilbert frowned slightly, scratching the back of his head. "Nien, my house was invaded while my brother was out at a bar. Zombies were everywhere! Heh … I wish he would've just stayed home for one night instead of going to that stupid place. That's all he ever does these days…"

Matthew gulped and looked at the floor. "Sounds horrible…" he murmured, scratching the back of his head. "I hope he's okay…"

Gilbert smiled a bit, patting him on the shoulder. "Don't worry, Mattie! I'm sure they're all fine! Have some faith!" Gilbert dug in his pocket, pulling out a small picture of his brother and a lighter. "I, for one, don't need to worry…" he murmured, beginning to burn it.

"H-hey don't burn it…!" Matthew yelled. "You just said you think they're all fine…! Don't go around burning things…!"

Gilbert looked at him for at him for a second and flicked the lighter off. Half of the picture was already burned. "I'm almost positive he's already gone, Mattie." He said, ripping the picture in half and shoving it and the lighter in his pocket. "That's why I shouldn't worry."

"Y-you have every right to worry…!" Matthew said. "Why are you so sure that he's dead…? You've got to have some tiny bit of hope that he's alive, don't you…?"

Gilbert sighed and sat at the table, leaving Matthew's question unanswered.

Matthew sat at the table beside him, looking down at his lap. "I'm sorry… I didn't mean to spazz out on you like that. I just… I'm really sorry… I know this is hard on you…"

Gilbert smirked and shook his head. "There's really no need to apologize."

"I-I'm sorry…" then he blushed. "I mean…! N-no, I'm so – N-never mind…"

Gilbert only smiled more at his innocence.

Matthew cleared his throat some. "T-tell me more about your brother…" he said softly, hoping to make him changed the subject, if only a little bad.

"Ludwig is his name." he murmured, resting his head on his arm. "It's not very important; we were just very close for brothers." He mumbled. "Tell me more about your family. Perhaps your parents?"

"Ah… My dad is a CEO at a company in the middle of the city and my mother is his assistant." He said, smiling a little and looking in his lap. "My brother's name is Alfred. He's my age… Unfortunately, like I said before, I was home alone when the outbreak started. Everyone else was gone…"

"Ah, I see...~" Gilbert smiled and stared at Matthew for a moment. Violet eyes, red tinted cheeks, beautiful blond hair with a single stray curl. He was perfect. In Gilbert's eyes, at least. Little did he know, he was creating a large awkward silence. He was known for doing things like that, he was just never really aware of it. "You're beautiful…" he murmured and smirked, hoping to get a reaction out of the boy.

And he of course, got a huge reaction. Matthew shot up quickly, falling back and banging his head on the floor – hard. Gilbert responded immediately, getting up out of his chair and helping the boy up, hugging him close. "You alright, Mattie…?"

Matthew blushed and pulled away. "Y-Yes, I'm fine…" he stammered, looking at the floor and rubbing where he had hit his head. "A-as for sleeping, I have a guest room upstairs you could sleep in…"

"We should sleep in the same room." Gilbert said with a wicked grin on his face. "You know. Safety reasons and all that junk." Gilbert said with a chuckle, still grinning at the boy.

"Ah, yes…" Matthew murmured, continuing to look away. "S-safety first…"

* * *

Matthew had led Gilbert upstairs into the guest room. It was a plain room with white walls and a white carpet, a single barricaded window and a bed, obviously only meant for one person. The rest of the room had no furniture what so ever.

"One of us should sleep while the other stands guard. Just in case something was to happen with the undead or something… Or a news flash. We'd need to stay awake for that. At least one of us would…" Matthew said quietly.

"Alright," Gilbert sighed. "I'll stay awake, you go to sleep and I'll wake you up in a few hours."

Matthew nodded, laying on the bed and looking at him for a moment. "You promise you'll wake me up…?" he murmured, taking his glasses off and setting them on the floor.

Gilbert winked and grinned. "I promise, Mattie."

"Alright…" Matthew said as he yawned, snuggling into the pillow and falling asleep peacefully, knowing that someone was there to protect him, even if he was a complete stranger, Matthew felt that he could trust him somehow…

Gilbert watched the boy sleep for a while. He looked peaceful. His fingers tangled into the sheets, his hair messily clung to his forehead. Half his body was uncovered, the blankets only covering his legs.

Matthew suddenly began to toss and turn, whimpering, his face contorted with depression and sadness. He was having a nightmare about his brother – Alfred. He whined softly, his fingers tangling into the sheets and gripping them tightly, holding onto them for dear life.

Gilbert bit his lip, deciding whether or not to wake him up. He decided against it, Matthew needed his sleep, even if it was a nightmare. He needed all the rest he needed in case something would have happened. Wouldn't want to be tired while trying to fire a gun, would we?

Matthew's struggles began more rapid and panicked, crying out every so often, though the cries, whimpers, and mumbles were incoherent, sounding like switches between French and English. That's it. Gilbert got up and lay down beside Matthew, snuggling him close and stroking the back of his head, very careful not to wake up. Matthew didn't protest, but snuggled into him, clutching the front of his shirt and trembling.

"Shh…" Gilbert comforted, stroking the back of Matthew's head and murmuring into his ear. "See? You're alright… Go to sleep now, Mattie…"

He hummed quietly for a while and Matthew stopped squirming and whining eventually. Gilbert's eyelids were heavy but he never fell asleep.

After a few hours, Gilbert turned his head and looked out the tiny crack in the window. It was bright, so it must have been morning. He yawned a little and stretched, stirring Matthew awake.

Matthew yawned and felt a body pressed against his own. It must be Alfred. He remembered watching a horrible zombie movie. Alfred must have snuck in in the middle of the night and went to bed with him, too scared and alert to sleep by himself. "Get off of me…" Matthew grumbled, pushing the body away a little.

"Oh, sorry Mattie." Gilbert grinned, scooting away slightly and running a hand through Matthew's hair.

Matthew yelped and pressed himself against the wall, panting and clutching the covers around him, squinting at the stranger.

"Woah, woah." Gilbert sat up a little. "S'just me, Mattie. Calm down."

Matthew sighed in relief. "O-oh… I forgot about yesterday and thought you were Alfred." Matthew scratched the back of his head. "Sorry about that… I didn't mean it…"

"S'fine, Mattie." Gilbert said, smirking and laying back on the bed.

Matthew looked over at the window and noticed it was morning. "…Did you wake me up at all like you promised…?"

"No…" Gilbert said slyly, looking away a bit. "You were so peaceful! It'd be a sin to disturb something like that!"

"Gilbert…! You promised you would! Now you're going to be sleepy for the rest of the day…!" Matthew complained, giving him a look of disapproval. "Don't do that, alright…?"

Gilbert put his hands so they were level with his head, exposing himself to Matthew. "You can punish me." Gilbert whimpered softly, moving his head to the side and squeezing his eyes shut. "My body is ready."

Matthew blushed a little at how wrong that sounded. He smacked Gilbert's chest lightly and looked away, his cheeks tinted lightly with red. "D-don't say or do things like that, Gilbert…"

Gilbert flinched at the contact, then grinned a little. "You blush a lot, don't you…?"

Matthew blushed a bit more and sat on Gilbert that didn't look perverted in any way at all… I swear… "S-shut up…" he instructed, smacking Gilbert's forehead lightly. "You're going to be the one sleeping first tonight, okay…?"

"Whatever, Mattie~." Gilbert smiled again.

But, everyone has to get back to reality sometime. The television suddenly turned on, a surprise news flash covering the screen. "In a couple weeks, the Navy is going to be dropping nuclear bombs in cities with the highest Zombie ratio. We highly suggest that everyone gets out of the house and drives to Oregon, where a safe zone awaits. There will be planes taking off to different countries that aren't infected. However, if you choose not to go, it is highly unlikely that you will survive this outbreak."

* * *

**BUMBUMBUMMM! Aight. Chapter one is finished! Tell me what you guys think of it so far~~.**


	2. Chapter 2

Evacuation…? There was absolutely no way they could survive! No vehicle, no way to get to Oregon… There was absolutely nothing they could do but await their fate.

Dying as one of them like the rest of America would.

And with that reality in his mind, Matthew buried his face in his hands, unsure of what would happen next.

They'd die for sure. Alfred would die. His parents would die. Everyone would be gone.

He was starting to understand why Gilbert really had no hope at all. He was just being too naïve about the situation.

To think he would survive in a zombie apocalypse. What was he? A ten year old after a zombie movie?

Gilbert on the other hand, sat there in silent shock. This was really the end, huh. After this short life he was going to die with someone he barely knew.

He could at least dream they were somewhat close, right? It was kind of like an instant connection, right?

Then something flicked on inside him. Something in his chest that made his heart melt and his head pound. His heart rate quickened drastically as he looked over at the boy, who seemed just as shocked as he was.

He wanted to protect him. Protect him from the world and all of its dangers.

Right now, it was seemingly the undead zombies.

He'd never had experienced this feeling before. It was kind of similar to a moment of adrenaline, which the Prussian had just only recently discovered.

He felt that it was his destiny to care for this boy as long as he lived, protecting him as if he were his own son. It felt like it was the very reason his soul was created. And he'd commit to it. Even if it meant life or death.

That's when Gilbert decided to speak up, his head raised high.

He pinned Matthew on the bed, a determined glint in his eyes and in his voice. "I _will_ protect you, Matthew." He said. "I'll protect you no matter what. From everything. I swear I will get you out of this. Everything's going to be fine. I will not ever leave your side from now on. I'll stay with you until this whole thing ends. Hopefully longer. The fact of the matter is, I'm not letting you go and I'm not letting you die. You'll get out of this with my help. I will protect you…" his ruby eyes sparked with intensity..

"I promise. Now, here's the plan. I have my Volkswagen Touareg at my house. It's only a couple blocks away. There are not many zombies; we'll get there hopefully without any problems. I have a full tank of gas; we could get to Oregon hopefully only stopping for it a couple times, alright? We can do this, Matthew."  
Matthew looked up at him, a mixture of worry, fear, confidence, and determination in his eyes. He nodded. "Alright. I trust you." He said. "You say your house is only a couple blocks over?"  
"Yeah," Gilbert said, standing up and cracking his neck. "It's at the end of the neighborhood – not that far from here. We'll get there in no time."

"Okay." He said, getting up as well. "I've never shot a gun before, so I'll be fine with a hockey stick. Hopefully, if we run fast enough, I won't need to use it, eh?" he smiled some. Matthew had taken Hockey all throughout his life. Ever since he was a boy, he had always had a passion for it.

It didn't hurt that he was amazing at it as well.

He'd won nearly every game he had ever played. He and Alfred used to play it together, but Matthew would beat him all the time – which infuriated Alfred, so he stopped and forced Matthew to play baseball and football with him to make him feel better.

He had always been like that, but he still loved Matthew a lot. When he graduated from high school, hockey didn't really seem to benefit him anymore, so he'd quit. That didn't mean he wouldn't play it almost every single day of the winter.

Ah, how great it was to live so close to a hockey rink.

Since Alfred had taken him to so many baseball games in the past – which were _way_ too long for Matthew to handle – Matthew dragged him to Hockey games.

Revenge. Sweet Revenge.  
Gilbert grinned. "I'll give you an extra gun, just in case."  
Matthew nodded and rushed downstairs, Gilbert hurrying behind him. When they were downstairs, Matthew gathered his hockey stick as the other slipped his back pack on, handing Matthew a gun and some ammo.

"Now, you'll need to cock the gun for the first shot you take, but after that it will do it automatically until you run out of bullets. Alright? Try to keep the shooting to a minimum in case we'll need the ammo for later situations."

It was funny how Ludwig had taught him all of these little things about guns. It made Gilbert feel proud to teach someone else how to use a gun. Even though Gilbert was older than him, Ludwig had always known more about this kind of stuff. Violence, war, weaponry… The list of these violent things could go on and on and on…  
Matthew nodded and smiled slightly, taking the gun from him and grabbing his hockey stick. Gilbert grinned and went to the door, opening it. A few zombies stared at him for a minute, as if deciding whether it'd be a good idea to attack. The decision was obvious. They slowly reached out, walking over to both, groaning softly in hunger.

Gilbert grinned and ran past them, kicking, hitting, and shooting many that got in his way. Matthew followed close behind, using his hockey stick most of the time, but would occasionally need to shoot now and again.

Matthew hated the feeling of fear. Not as much as Alfred had, but still… The feeling of being chased by undead creatures wasn't all that soothing. He'd yelp every time he'd have to hit one or merely touch one. But when he hit them with the hockey stick, it was very forceful. From all of those years of hockey, he had rather quick reflexes and strong arms. Each time he'd hit one, he felt a small spark of adrenaline, as if he'd done something right. It made him feel strong. He loved it for some odd reason. Not many of the creatures would get in his way, but when they did, Matthew gave his full strength, killing some of them. He huffed out each time, beginning to feel a slight burning sensation in his arms and calves.

Unlike Matthew, Gilbert _loved_ the feeling of adrenaline coursing through his veins. The feeling of fear excited him. He'd kick and punch the zombies, as if he were in a video game. It truly was an 'awesome' feeling for him. Occasionally, he'd fire off his gun, but it wasn't as exciting as killing the creatures with his bare fists. He simply loved it. He barely noticed the burning sensation of tiredness. How could he? He was so full of adrenaline; he didn't even really realize that he was probably pulling many muscles in his thighs, calves, and arms.

"Are we almost there…!" Matthew yelled, the feeling of tiredness slowly taking over his body. His throat burned as he panted. He'd probably kill for a glass of water right now. Well, kill the living anyway…

"Yeah! The house right there!" he pointed to a house with a Volkswagen Touareg in the driveway. "Just keep running, don't stop!" he yelled out, running as fast as his legs could carry him and plowing down many of the creatures. Matthew still followed, not needed to kill as many when Gilbert was in front of him.

Gilbert quickly ran up the driveway and climbed into the front seat, slamming the door shut. Matthew got in the passenger's seat and did the same thing. Both of them panted and rested for a second, staring at the zombies that were yelling and screaming in frustration, blindly throwing themselves at each other in agonizing hunger. They looked sad, really. There was a milky sort of shine over their eyes – if they even had any – and they would walk – no, they would _hobble_ around as if they would collapse at any given moment. They were almost unrecognizable to the human kind.  
It was kind of funny, in a sick way. They would tilt their heads cautiously at each other, as if confused if they were food or not and then try to fight each other. It had to make you wonder – how did this come to be…? The news said that the dead began to rise from the ground a few days ago, all across the United States.

Maybe the Miami face-eater was a warning. However, it was kind of naïve to think that such a harmless thing like bath salts could really bring the dead back to life. But who knows? Something brought life into this world, and it could just as easily take it back*.

Gilbert chuckled slightly and dug through his pocket, pulling out the car keys and pushing them into the ignition and turning them, turning the car on. He sighed and put the vehicle in reverse, backing out of the driveway and switching it to drive, driving out of the neighborhood.  
"Uhm…" Matthew fumbled for a map, finding on in the glove compartment. "There's supposed to be a few safe zones on the way that we can stop by when night comes around… Alright…?"  
"It'd be easier to just drive through the night though…" Gilbert said, looking around in the now abandoned city. "Ja?" he looked over at Matthew, grinning slightly.

Matthew furrowed his eyebrows and smacked him very lightly on the shoulder. "You didn't get any sleep last night." He said. "We have to stop at the next safe zone, _alright?_"  
Gilbert sighed. "Ja, fine…"

Matthew went silent and looked away, giving out directions every so often very quietly. It almost calmed Matthew to look over at the other and see him grinning or telling a joke. Sure, he was loud and he barely ever would stop talking, but there was something about his voice. Maybe his laugh. It ranged from _'kesesesese!' _to just plain _'hahaha!'_.  
Since Matthew didn't speak often, Gilbert paid attention when he had something to say. He liked it when he giggled a little and blushed, smiling over at him. Then things would get silent. Not an awkward kind of silence; but a comforting kind of one.  
The streets were nearly empty, except for a few of the undead aimlessly roaming around, yelling and groaning in hunger and frustration. Who was to blame them? They've probably been deprived of food ever since they'd risen from the grave. The bad thing was – they did not die of hunger. They did not die easily. They didn't bleed to death or anything. Only if their skull was smashed or they were decapitated, then they would surely be dead. It was like the ultimate human, except with many flaws.

Maybe that's what someone was trying to create. A super human. But something must have gone terribly, terribly wrong to make these creatures rise. Perhaps the legend of bringing a human back to life. The possibilities were nearly endless. This is why humans are so stupid sometimes…

Why couldn't anyone just leave the dead alone to rest in peace? It's understandable that some did not deserve to die, but they were honestly and probably in a better place now. It's also understandable if someone misses someone so much, they'll go to extreme measures like killing themselves or burying themselves in religion. Like a ritual. Maybe even catching their ghost…

How could you even tell if they were infected? Gilbert knew this one. He's been training for a zombie apocalypse for years. Black blood. The infection would quickly poison the blood, causing it to turn completely black. Burnt skin. If one was bitten, the bite would begin to blacken, as if the skin was being burnt away and the blood was being boiled. It probably felt that way, too. Pale and greenish looking skin with many blotches and imperfections, much like if someone had encountered the flu. Milky eyes, as if the person had been blinded by cataracts. This is of course because of the infection making its way to the eye.

Gilbert shivered at the thought and realized they were already driving down the interstate, much in a rural area and it was already somewhat dark. "There's going to be a safe zone down here…?" he murmured, looking around. There were only a few of the undead creatures hobbling around, being more blinded then they already were by the vehicle's headlights.

"Yeah…" Matthew murmured quietly. "It's very close to here, approximately five minutes away." He smiled a bit, looking over at him. "Why? Are you tired or something?" he joked.  
Gilbert smirked slightly, cracking his neck. "Naw," he said. "I'm just really fucking bored…" he mumbled. "I forgot my iPod at home, so we can't listen to music either… Sucks…"  
God, Gilbert sounded like such a teenager. Matthew kept that small smile on his face, shaking his head and rolling his eyes. "You can bear it for just a bit longer, can't you?"

Gilbert gave a small grunt of boredom and sighed dramatically, sulking. "I _guess_ so…" he mumbled to himself, gloomily staring at the road ahead. Ah, how peaceful it was. The fresh smell of rotten flesh and the weak noises of the undead. That small crunching feeling of running over dead bodies – maybe even just body parts. Honestly… Anything seemed to be slightly relaxing at this point…

"Hey, don't fall asleep at the wheel." Matthew warned, snapping his fingers. He then pointed to a building. "There. That's the safe zone. We'll sleep there tonight and head out tomorrow. Does that sound good…?"  
"Ja." Gilbert mumbled, slowing down. There were little posters of cardboard, an arrow drawn on them to point to the school. It honestly looked very creepy and slightly scary. "Seems legit." He grumbled, turning into the parking lot.  
It seemed to be a very small abandoned high school. Gilbert parked and pulled the keys from the ignition, turning the car off. He then quickly got out of the car and opened the door for Matthew, holding out a hand to help him out and smirking.  
Matthew blushed and hesitantly took the hand, stepping out and closing the door behind him. They both walked up to the gate, where a couple guards stopped them.

"Good evening, gentlemen." Gilbert smirked and bowed. "Surely, we are survivors. It would be a great honor if you would kindly let us through to sleep in this lovely…gym. It is very much appreciated."  
The guards rolled their eyes and opened the gate to let them in, ultimately ignoring Gilbert. They quickly slammed it shut behind them after the two walked through.

Gilbert grinned and walked into the school gym, Matthew following close behind him. There were a few people, but it wasn't crowded. Some were exchanging goods. Some were conversation with one another. Some were sleeping. The others were crying. Usually the ones who were alone and had looked like they'd given up.  
They both felt sorry for them all…  
Gilbert walked across the gym and picked a spot immediately falling to the floor and curling up into a ball, looking ready to sleep. He quickly got his backpack off him as well. Matthew smiled a bit and lay beside him. Gilbert quickly pulled him close. "Absorbing each other's body heat since we don't have a blanket." He murmured, yawning.

Matthew blushed lightly but didn't complain. He was cold anyways.

* * *

In the morning, Gilbert awoke first, stretching and stirring around, awaking the other beside him. He sat up and rubbed his eyes. Matthew did too a couple seconds later, stretching and slowly rising to his feet. It seemed most of the others were already awake. Most of them were gathered in a circle in the middle, trading and eating breakfast.  
Matthew tapped Gilbert's shoulder lightly, motioning for him to get up. "C'mon." he said. "Let's go get something to eat." He helped Gilbert up and began walking towards the circled, taking a seat and beginning to talk to the others.

Gilbert sat beside him, not really comprehending much of the situation. He yawned, scratching the back of his head. Food sounded good right about now… It seemed the greatest thing that they had was fresh bread and coffee. _Good enough_. He thought.  
Matthew looked behind him for a moment to see a man nearing the backpack that Gilbert had left lying on the floor in the corner. As if he were a robot, he got up and began walking over to him.  
"Matthew…?" Gilbert murmured, tilting his head to the side in confusion and getting up to follow him. It didn't seem that it was an angry walk towards the man, more of a desperate and frantic walk.  
Matthew didn't answer and kept walking towards him. "Sir!" he called out. "Where did you get that jacket from?"

The man didn't turn around, rummaging through supplies. "I don't know what you're talking about, kid." He grumbled a hint of pure annoyance in his voice. "I've had this old thing forever. Get lost."  
"Please!" Matthew cried. "Just tell me where you found it!" he said, as if he suspected the man was lying to him. His voice sounded very frantic. His body was trembling and he felt tears threatening at his eyes. "Please, sir!"  
"I just found it in some abandoned car on the side of the road." He grumbled again, sounding a little more aggravated this time. "Why?" he questioned, a hint of sarcasm in your voice. "What's it to _you_, kid…?" he growled, turning his head slightly and stopped rummaging for a second.  
The answer was hesitant, but Matthew sighed and let it out, his voice loud – loud for him, at least.

The jacket was an old-fashioned bomber jacket… "It's my brother's jacket! It even has his name stitched on the back!"

* * *

**Woot. Chapter two is here :D**

***no religion wars. :D**


	3. Chapter 3

**OH MY GOsh. This took so long to update, and I apologize. It's just that I got a new puppy and my beta has been quite busy and a herp derpa derp.**

* * *

Gilbert's eyes widened slightly in sudden realization. There were two settings here.

Either Alfred had died and someone had stolen his jacket, or he was still alive and somehow began walking to the safe zone. Maybe even something completely different.

He was betting on his death, but that was just his pessimistic personality. Unlike Matthew, Gilbert _knew_ that his brother was dead. There was no question to it.

At least there was some hope for Matthew. His brother was probably still alive and roaming somewhere down the highway. Maybe he even made it to a safe zone and had gotten another car. Let's see… Matthew said he was at a party when this whole thing started so he probably has some company with him. They couldn't have all died already, right…?

It was true that you could almost _feel_ the worry venting off Matthew, but if a loved one was in danger, probably anyone would do the same. However, he was different somehow. It seemed like there wasn't a moment when he did not worry or have faith that his brother was still alive. It was truly incredible that he's even able to stay this optimistic even in a zombie apocalypse.

Even when his brother and family might be dead.

Even if he was with a complete stranger that he had just met the day before.

The man looked at him for a few moments, as if he were rationalizing if the boy was lying to him or not. He then shrugged, tossing Matthew the bomber jacket and beginning to walk in the opposite direction.

"Here. Take it." He grumbled rather grouchily. Who could even blame him at this point? He was probably one of those people that had already lost everything. He simply waved the two of them off. "It's not like it even means anything to me."

"Th-thank you…!" Matthew called out after him. "Thank you so much…!" The man that was currently walking out the door paid no attention to the words, as if he couldn't hear Matthew – Well, he probably didn't, but let's not say that.

Matthew simply shrugged it off and turned towards Gilbert. His eyes were glistening with happiness and hope. Hope that maybe his brother was still alive out there. He was also wearing a rather large smile – something that was very rare with him these days. There was a certain spark in his step as he walked over to Gilbert, the jacket hanging around his shoulders.

Gilbert only looked at him, raising a questioning eyebrow. Was this person for real…? There was a reason to be happy, but there also were many reasons why he should be breaking down at crying.

The guy found it in an abandoned car. That means he could already be one of them; there was a rather high probability.

He couldn't have just walked on the rest of the way to Oregon. It was impossible… However, it honestly depended on where the stranger had actually found the car, not just if it was empty or not. He never mentioned anything dead in the vehicle, so that must have been a sign that whoever had crashed had gotten out of the car and tried to escape, or had been eaten by those things.

"This means he's probably alive…" Matthew explained, staring at the jacket with a calm smile on his face. "If he was in an abandoned car, he shouldn't be too far away from here. Which means he's still alive. Who knows…? He might have even found a safe zone by now." He said, chuckling quietly to himself. He clutched the jacket close to his chest. "I'm really happy…"

Gilbert frowned slightly, patting his shoulder lightly. He didn't want to get the others hopes down, so he just decided to agree, instead of being the asshole of the world.

"That's great… At least there's some reasons to be happy." He forced a small broken smile. "We'll find him, Matthew."

Matthew looked up at him with a small frown. Gilbert honestly looked like he was about the cry and his voice was a bit broken. "Gilbert…?" He asked quietly, a slightly worried expression on his face. Matthew didn't really understand why he could be so sad when there was at least some hope left for them both. They could both probably find their brothers and everything would be all right. "Is there something wrong…? You seem down…"

He blinked a few times, looking down at the other. He frowned just slightly as he spoke. "What…? No there's nothing. I'm just thinking, is all." He stated, forcing another small smile. "I'm sure everything will be fine."

Matthew then gave him a warm smile, looking up at him with sparkling violet eyes. "Don't worry, Gilbert…" He began to reassure. "I'm sure your brother is fine…"

That was it. Gilbert bit his lip a little before pulling Matthew into a tight hug, burying his face in the other's shoulder with a small gasp. He shook his head a little, his entire body beginning to tremble. His shoulders shook as he began to sob softly.

Matthew's smile softened slightly. He slowly hugged him back, feeling a little concerned at the sudden break down. "Gil…? What's wrong?" He asked, a confused look on his face. "Why are you crying…?"

"H-he's dead…" He said quietly in between sobs and small gasps. His voice sounded broken and full of dread and pure sadness. He gripped the back of Matthew's shirt tightly, forcing himself to continue to speak. "He's gone…"

Matthew smiled a little and patted his back again. "Come on, Gilbert… You don't know that. I'm sure he's still alive, looking for you. Just like we're looking for him, see? We are in this together. We'll find him, there's no need to be so pessimistic…"

"N-no, Matt…" He said quietly, beginning to shake his head again. He waited for a few seconds before finally growing the courage to speak. To tell the truth and not push everything down inside him where it could slowly deteriorate in his soul. "H-he's dead…. I…" He paused for a moment, hesitantly regaining his voice after a few moments of silence and trembling. "I…I killed him…"

Matthew immediately frowned and paused for a moment, gulping. "What do you mean…? What happened?"

"A-a couple days ago…" He started, sighing softly and managing to make his voice sound less broken than it did before, but not much. "W-we were trying to get away from those…those things a-and… We both had a g-gun and one of them attacked him…" He squeezed his eyes shut, a few more tears slipping out. "I tried to sh-shoot it, Matthew… A-at the last second I flinched and shot him instead… H-he told me to leave after he was bitten… I shot the zombie and left him…"

"Gil…" Matthew said softly, patting his back gently. "Don't feel so guilty about it… I-it wasn't your fault… You did the right thing. I doubt anyone would know what else to do it that kind of situation…"

He shook his head rapidly and shakily. "N-no, it's all my fault…" He said quietly, his voice cracking a little. "I shouldn't have shot him…! His death is all my fault…" He said a little louder, clutching the back of Matthew's jacket for dear life. "And only because I can't aim a goddamn gun…" He breathed out, his voice sounding shaken and broken.

Matthew furrowed his eyebrows slightly. Gilbert continued to blame himself for everything, when it was a simple accident. He needed to stop this.

Now.

He grabbed Gilbert's shoulders and pulled him away gently, staring into his ruby eyes. "Listen to me, Gil…" He said quietly, his voice sounding slightly stronger than normal. "This isn't your fault. None of this was your fault. Now please… Don't blame yourself for something that you can't control…"

He stared at him for a moment before nodding a little a slightly unsure smile on his lips. "Thank you, Matthew…" He said softly, looking down at the floor, still looking just a little guilty.

"Now stop that." He said, but he couldn't hide the small smile on his lips. He leaned up and kissed him softly on the cheek. "There's no need to look so guilty about something that you can't fix…"

Gilbert blushed slightly at the action, much to Matthew's amusement. Gilbert only smirked and leaned down, kissing his cheek lightly, hoping to create some kind of reaction.

Matthew's face immediately turned a dark red as he stuttered a few incoherent words, staring down at the floor. "G-Gil…!"

He laughed a little, ruffling his hair a little. "Ever hear of revenge, Matt?" He said, laughing in between a few words.

"Hey!" A woman from across the room called out to them. Her hands were on her hips, an eyebrow raised. Nevertheless, she simply could not hide the smirk on her face.

"You too need to realize that this is the end of the world. Now, the obvious lovebirds can show some affection, but pay attention a little~"

Gilbert grinned, slinging an arm around Matthew's shoulder and pulling him close. "It's a promise~!"

"Good." She said with a small giggle, beginning to walk away, probably going to trade something to get some breakfast to eat.

"G-Gil…!" Matthew yelled quietly, gently pushing the taller man away from him, an unamused look on his face. "What was that for?"

"Oh, calm down, Mattie~" Gilbert grinned. "It's not like it's going to ruin anyone's reputation, correct~? So there's nothing to be worried about."

After they ate breakfast, they decided to leave, heading back on the road to Oregon.

Gilbert grinned and picked Matthew up bridal style, walking towards the double door exit of the gym.

Matthew of course, yelped at the fact that he was suddenly being held. He wrapped his arms around the other's neck, unsure of what to do, but he most certainly didn't want to fall on the ground. "W-what are you doing…?" He asked quietly, a small squeak of complaint leaving him before he could say anything.

"What are you talking about?" He smirked down at him. "We're supposed to be together right? That's what that nice lady said. Calm down, it'll be over in a second if you don't like it that much."

Matthew rolled his eyes and buried his head in Gilbert's chest, too embarrassed to show his face to anyone right now.

After what seemed like an eternity, the passenger car door of the vehicle opened and Gilbert set Matthew inside the seat. "Th-thank you…" He said softly, keeping his gaze successfully averted from the other.

"No probs, Matt~!" He said enthusiastically, laughing loudly after. He went over to the front seat of the car and put the key in the ignition, turning it to the side, making it come to life. Matthew yawned softly, snuggling into the seat, struggling slightly to keep his eyes open. "You can sleep if you want, I won't mind."

Matthew looked over at him, a strict look in his eyes. "Wake me up in a couple hours and let me drive, alright?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." He waved him off, driving out onto the highway. "Now sleep, alright. I promise I'll wake you up, No exceptions this time." He chuckled softly.

"Good…" He then managed to fall asleep after a few minutes, feeling relaxed that this almost-stranger was driving with for some reason…

* * *

**WHELP. THERE YOU HAVE IT FOLKS. THE FREAKING FANFICTION CHAPTER AHHG. Well, reviews make me and beta happy so that would be very nice. :3**


	4. Chapter 4

**AHHH CHAPTER FOUR FINALLY! I'm so so so so so so so sorry it took so long! I promise I'll try to write faster this time because so much procrastination lately eheh.**

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"Pancakes..." Matthew mumbled as he slept, a sheepish smile on his face. He snuggled into the seat, as if it were the comfiest piece of furniture that he had ever slept on. Oh, how dream land was much better than reality right now... Dreams were a way to escape the horrible reality of zombies...

Those things... Who knew they could be so deadly? One or two wasn't that bad. If you weren't alone, anyways. But in a practical zombie army, the chances of getting away are very slim. That's what had scared them both. They only had each other, and they were both hanging onto that one string of hope that they would escape this mess, despite the chances that they wouldn't. Maybe Matthew was hanging onto that string more than Gilbert. Gilbert just seemed to have almost given up and accept this horrible fate of being the undead.

Gilbert smiled over at him. Pancakes, huh? That would be something to tease him about later. He glanced over at him for a few moments before finally focusing on the road again.

The air was foggy. Almost like the look in one of the creature's eyes. Just as you could look into their eyes, you knew they weren't the same person anymore, and that they never would be. There were a few of the things staggering around, paying special attention to the vehicle that was driving at a moderate pace down the road.

Matthew shifted around in his seat for a moment, grumbling something to himself before his eyes fluttered open. He yawned delicately, daintily looking around for a moment, as if the creatures weren't there anymore. He sighed faintly with a gloom expression, peeking over at Gilbert for a moment, who glanced back at him.

He smiled a little, almost teasingly before averting his gaze back to the road ahead of them. "Pancakes." He announced, simpering to himself.

Matthew furrowed his eyebrows and stared at him for a few moments, his head tilted to the side. "Pancakes...?" He asked quietly, seeming a little confused. He had a dream about pancakes, actually... He had made some for his brother, who had immediately devoured them. The memory of the dream made him smile warmly.

"You said that in your sleep... You looked really happy, too." He said, a grin still dancing across his lips. "Were you dreaming about them?"

"Pancakes...? I...something like that, I guess..." He said happily, his voice sounding dainty and quiet as usual. He snuggled into the car seat, shivering softly. It was cold to him for some reason. Maybe it was because he was fragile... He looked over at Gilbert. He looked tired... Like he needed a nap. Maybe a full night of sleep wasn't enough for him. It was understandable... He probably had a headache from driving for so long. His eyes were fluttering too. Matthew sighed and reached his hand across, tapping his arm gently. "Hey, you need to sleep... I can drive for a while if you'd like."

Gilbert shook his head defiantly. "No, I'm really fine."

"Gilbert," Matthew said sternly, glaring at him, his violet eyes serious. "You need sleep too. Now, I've slept enough and I can drive, just for an hour, alright? I'll wake you up, I promise..."

The car crawled to a stop and Gilbert finally gave in with a dramatic sigh, unbuckling his seatbelt. "Alright, alright. Just wake me up, okay? I can't help but think that you'll get revenge on me because I didn't wake you up that one time." He said, placing a hand on the steering wheel in case Matthew decided to change his mind.

He rolled his eyes, getting out of the car. "Hm. Maybe, maybe not. We'll just have to see." He said with a sly and teasing smile. Gilbert watched him for a moment before getting out of the car and climbing into the back seat, laying down with a sigh. It wasn't as comfortable as a bed, but it almost felt like you were floating on a cloud...

Matthew climbed into the front seat, adjusting the seat. Wow, Gilbert liked to lean back while he drove, didn't he... Matthew didn't like that. You could drift off to sleep at any moment and bam, car crash.

He put the vehicle in drive and began to crawl down the road, waiting until he heard Gilbert snoring softly so he could begin to drive faster.

Gilbert began to mumble in his sleep a few minutes later, tossing and turning. "West..." He whined quietly. "Stop wasting all the damn beer..." He grumbled, seeming agitated.

Matthew stifled a giggle, he didn't want to wake the albino up. This was too amusing.

* * *

"Roddy, entertain me~" He whined, shifting over for a few moments. "N-no, get away from me you crazy, bitch...!" He said rather loudly.

This went on for a few hours until Gilbert finally rolled off the back seat and onto the floor, letting out a small 'oof'. He grumbled to himself before sitting back up on the seat, rubbing at his eyes. "How long's it been...?" He mumbled, not quite trusting the blonde in the front seat.

"Few hours." He responded smugly, humming quietly to himself. This was rather amusing, really... Gilbert had been a nice form of entertainment. Loud and distracting form of entertainment, anyways.

"Really? Well, I can't say, I'm surprised. Can I drive now?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at him. Surely he would at least let him drive, right...?

"Right, right." The Canadian said with a sigh, slowing the vehicle down to a stop. He got out with Gilbert, who quickly climbed in the driver's side and adjusted the seat to his liking. Matthew rolled his eyes and smiled, getting in the passenger's seat and buckling his seatbelt.

Soon they were on the road again, and all seemed calm. The sun had actually came out, but it was almost invisible due to the thick fog that had blocked it out. Gilbert sighed softly. This was boring... They could have talked, but he really didn't feel like it. Though he could barely stand the silence, he just dealt with it.

Suddenly, Gilbert stopped the car.

Matthew furrowed his eyebrows and looked over at him. "Gil...?" He asked quietly. Gilbert's grip on the wheel had tightened. His eyes were wide with dread and fear as he stared off into the distance. It was something barely visible, but Gilbert knew who it was.

"Ludwig..." He breathed, tears forming at the corners of his eyes. He shook his head, looking as if he might breakdown. The zombie that used to be his little brother stared at them with lifeless milky eyes. "W-what happened to you...?" It was a mystery how he'd even gotten this far...but Gilbert didn't care.

"G-Gil..." Matthew said cautiously, also staring at the creature. "Gil, that's not him..."

In a flash, Gilbert rolled down the window and quickly got out his gun, shooting the creature and quickly speeding off, tears flowing freely now.

"Gilbert, stop the car." Matthew demanded.

He complied, slowing the vehicle to a stop and slowly peeling his hands off the wheel. He put them down in his lap and stared down at the floor.

"Gilbert, that wasn't him, and you know that..." Matthew said softly. Just take a moment to calm down, alright...?"

He nodded a little, his breathing coming out in short uneven pants as he shook his head a little. "It's not him..." He murmured, clenching his hands into fists. "I-it's not him, it's not him, it's not him, it's not him..." He comforted himself, his voice being choked off into quiet sobs. He buried his face in his hands. "Dammit..." He mumbled. "W-why did you have to leave me like this...?! You were the one that was always by my side...!" He sobbed shamelessly into his arms, not even caring if Matthew saw him like this. "I-I raised you, and I killed you...! I'm sorry..." He squeezed his eyes shut tightly, tears leaking out from the corners. "I'm so sorry it had to end like this..."

Matthew looked over at him, on his own verge of tears. He couldn't stand to see Gilbert like this... He was normally so strong. But it seemed that every mention of his brother was enough to tear him apart... Matthew understood, he would have done the same for his own. "Gilbert..." He said comfortingly, placing a hand at the albino's shoulder and rubbing softly. "It wasn't your fault, and you know it..." He said quietly, patting his back gently. "You know it was an accident... It wasn't your fault..."

Gilbert looked over at him and nodded, finally sitting up. "I know... I just feel like it was... This all could have been avoided... if only my aim was better..."

"Now stop it..." Matthew said with a small smile, patting his shoulder gently.

"I-I'm sorry..."

Matthew sighed and shook his head a little. "Don't apologize." And with that, he leaned in and planted a kiss on his lips.

* * *

**ASDFJLK; They KISSED! aghh i've been waiting to write this precise moment for so long because i just ashfkjl! Okay so, I love you all so much, and I'll see you next time, bye bye~**


	5. Chapter 5

**Ugh, I skipped and didn't have my beta edit the story! Oh well, It's taken too long anyways, and I just need to post the damn chapter already, right?**

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Gilbert was surprised when he felt the sudden pair of lips on his own and was frozen for a few seconds before he sighed softly and let his eyes close, returning the kiss. He ever so gently brushed some hair out of the Canadian's eyes for a moment, his heart fluttering slightly. His lips were soft _So_ soft and he couldn't get over that fact. It felt as if tiny sparks were racing up and down his spine as he kissed him and he felt like he'd known him for years, like they were absolutely perfect for each other. He wanted to stay there forever, but his lungs said otherwise as he pulled away for air.

Matthew pulled away as well and looked shyly down in his lap, nibbling at his bottom lip for a moment, staying silent. He didn't really know what to say. What was there to say? The gesture had spelled his feelings out perfectly for Gilbert. He definitely had a little crush on him.

How could he not? He was funny and handsome...and he would imagine that he probably had a rocking bod under that shirt. He blushed and quickly pushed the thought away, content on never thinking about _that_ again. Well, maybe if he had to in the near future if Gilbert had liked him back...

It was funny...people liking him back. Matthew, unfortunately, had never really gotten to feel what that had felt like. Of course, he had relationships. With girls and boys, but none of them had ever really seemed like this... He sighed softly. He'd only known the guy for a few days! Why was he already having feelings for him...?

Gilbert glanced over at the blushing and silent Canadian for a moment, raising an eyebrow. "What was that for?" He asked, a soft smile on his features as he reached over, patting Matthew's thigh gently. "Why did you kiss me, Matthew?" His tone was slightly serious, faintly teasing, and a bit curious as well. But he definitely wasn't complaining in the least, because damn, Matthew was a pretty good kisser.

"I..uh..." He bit his lip harshly and thought for a moment, a small blush on his cheeks. "I...like you, Gil." He said softly after a moment, finally gaining enough courage to glance over at the Prussian, but quickly looked away. "I'm sorry..." He said quietly, a frown spreading across his features as he gulped, peering at his lap, as he had no where else to look without it feeling awkward.

Gilbert shook his head a little, an understanding smile on his features. "It's okay, Matthew... I like you too." He said with a small chuckle, starting the car again as they began to drive down the interstate, the car traveling smoothly down the seemingly burnished road.

He may or may not have developed _some_ feelings for the boy... But he'd pushed all of those feelings down at first because he thought he was just in high school, and he was, well. He was twenty six years old. That would've been at least an eight year age difference. But, seeing as the Canadian had expressed his feelings to him, he didn't really seem to care. Since he was in college, after all, and twenty years old at that.

The Canadian stared over at him for a moment, his eyebrows furrowed. "You do...?" He asked softly, raising an eyebrow at him before looking back down at his lap, not daring to cast another glance at the Prussian.

Matthew's lips tingled. He'd only kissed anyone a few times, but none of them had ever really left a feeling like this before. He let out a soft sigh and ran a confused hand through his hair, finally looking over at him again, opening his mouth to say something, but quickly shutting it. The tension was way too high for the Canadian's liking, but what was he supposed to do about it? Just talk...? He'd never spoken freely, and he definitely wasn't about to start now. Even if he felt almost completely comfortable with Gilbert, it wouldn't change the fact that he was just naturally soft spoken.

Finally, he decided to speak up. "Uhm... Do you want to play a game?" He asked softly, glancing over at him in question. He would always play a game like this with his brother whenever he wasn't feeling the best, but this was just to distract him. And boy, he definitely needed distracting right now. After that pleasant, sweet, nice, cute... He shook his head. Dammit, he was getting distracted by the stupid kiss that they'd shared before.

Gilbert shrugged a little, looking over at the other for a moment before looking back at the road. "Sure, how do you play?" He asked, an eyebrow raised. A game, eh? Kinda reminded him of the movie Saw, which made him shudder a bit as he tried not to think about all the blood, gore, and torturing. But then he rolled his eyes, seeing how stupid that was. They were in the middle of a zombie apocalypse, for Christ's sakes! Well, maybe just the beginning, but it didn't really even matter.

"Uh...you look for something that starts with a letter, and go down the alphabet like that. Starting with A." He said with a slight smile. He used to play this game with Alfred a lot, just to calm him down or when they were simply just down right bored. It wasn't a very fun game, but at least it would pass the time.

"Alright, I'll start." He bit his lip and glanced around the car for a moment. "Airbag." He said after a few moments, looking at the dash.

"Bush..." Matthew said softly, gesturing to a bush outside of the vehicle.

"Cute." He said, smirking as he gestured towards the Canadian.

He blushed slightly, shaking his head a little. "That doesn't count." He mumbled, crossing his arms. Seriously, already with the 'cute' comments? Jeez, and to think they kissed just a few minutes ago! Oh well, he wasn't really complaining...that much, anyways.

"Car." He said with a small chuckle.

"Hm..." He looked around for a moment before smiling, pointing at the dashboard in front of them. "Dash."

The Prussian bit his lip. This game was sort of hard when there wasn't really much to choose from, but he decided to tease Matthew a bit more. "Erotisch." He said with a grin, pointing at the Canadian again. It felt so much better now that they had conveyed their feelings to each other. He felt like he could say whatever he- "Ow!" He whined as Matthew slapped his shoulder lightly.

"That doesn't count, and you know it, mister." He said with a light smile, looking around for another object. He at least knew some German, and he knew that Gilbert had just called him sexy... He squirmed slightly in his seat and shook his head. Seriously, did this man just have no shame at all?

* * *

Minutes later, they were down to X, and it was Matthew's turn. He bit his lip and looked around for a moment, having troubles what to say. "Hm...What for X..." He said softly to himself, seeming a little frustrated. He'd always get stuck on X.

"X-out." He said, pointing to the tube on the floor. "Lud used to have some problems with acne..." He said quietly, sighing softly. He also might have too, but now his face was probably as smooth as a baby's butt! Acne wasn't ever going to get him again if he just used the right products and washed his face every night! Well, in this situation here, he didn't really have much of a choice, but he was sure that just some blood on his face wouldn't really do anything.

"O...kay...?" Matthew chuckled a little and looked around again, humming softly to himself. He was certainly glad that letter was out of the way, he would have been stuck on it forever! "Yield." He said, pointing to a sign.

The next one was easy. "Zombies..." Gilbert breathed, his voice just above a whisper. The answer was just plain obvious to both of them really, and none of them really talked about it that much after that. Just the almost deafening silence.

Just then, the car slowly creaked to a stop, the engine giving out. "Shit..." He mumbled, trying to get it to move again, to no avail."Uhh... Alright, Matthew. Stand guard while I figure out what's wrong." He said, quickly getting out of the car. Seriously, in the middle of the interstate? Where all of those _things_ could see them? It was getting almost sunset too. Gilbert hoped this wasn't something too serious, or they probably wouldn't even survive.

Matthew nodded, getting out as well as Gilbert popped the hood. On guard... That meant that he was responsible for both their safety. He didn't want to have Gilbert worry about them at all, so he quickly promised himself that no matter how long it took. It could take all night for all he cared! He just wanted to prove to himself and the Prussian that he definitely had a strong capability of protecting them both from danger.

"How the hell...?" He raised an eyebrow at the missing spark plug. "We must've hit a bump in the road or something..." It was weird...the road that they were driving on was probably smooth as ever and fairly knew. He shrugged a bit, a small sigh escaping his lips. For all he knew, they could have simply ran over one of the many dead bodies of the zombies. Within about five minutes, the problem was fixed.

Matthew smiled at him, walking back to the passenger's side of the car as a relieved sigh passed his lips. He was really glad that it hadn't taken too long for him to fix, the thought of standing out there all night had slowly gotten to be less and less in his best interest. Maybe some other time he would prove to himself and Gilbert! Yeah, that time would definitely come...real soon.

As Gilbert walked back, he was completely unaware that the creatures were beginning to take place on what was happening. Honestly, he was too happy and relieved to even notice them. The car was fixed, after all! That meant they were just one step closer to getting to Oregon. They would be there in a snap! It was as easy as that.

But, just as the Prussian thought those happy thoughts, one of the zombies had caught up to him. And they were going to definitely get way too close for comfort. The creature quickly tackled Gilbert to the ground, growling at snapping it's jaws as Gilbert looked up at it, absolutely petrified as his life quickly flashed right before his eyes.

This was it. This was when he was going to die. Oh, how short his happiness was lived. He would have never thought that he would die like this...becoming one of the infected. It seemed like he had spent just his entire life training for just exactly this and now his chances of surviving were absolutely ruined, and there was no way that he could fix it.

Matthew shrieked, quickly getting up and growling. That stupid creature had just...killed the only person he had left. The person he had just kissed and possibly had a small crush on. The only person that he could ever trust and maybe the last person he would ever meet in his life. Ladies and gentlemen, hockey season Matthew. He quickly shot the gun multiple times, a look of pure anger in his eyes as he grit his teeth and tried to aim so it hit the zombie as many times as he could. It wasn't long before the thing quickly fell to the ground beside the Prussian, dead.

Gilbert cried out, holding the palm of his hand, staring at the bullet lodged in it. It was painful, but he bit down hard on his lip to keep another yelp in pain inside. He didn't want the creatures to be even more attracted. The gunshot had already done enough damage. Eventually he let loose, unable to contain the groan of pain that quickly left his limbs as his hand trembled uncontrollably, the smell of blood probably attracting all of the creatures.

"Gil...!" Matthew shouted, quickly helping him up and examining him for a moment before putting him into the back seat of the car. He quickly sat beside him and slammed the door shut. He swiftly helped him out of his jacket, a worried expression on his features. "Are you alright...?" He asked quietly.

"Yeah..." He muttered, looking over at his shoulder. None of the skin was pierced, so the zombie must have simply gotten a mouthful of the fabric of his jacket thankfully instead of his flesh. Thank God for that, he thought he was going to be turned into one of them for a few moments. And jeez, he really didn't want that.

He then looked down at his hand with a slightly concerned expression. It was still bleeding excessively, and he didn't know what to do with the bullet still lodged in the center. The skin around it looking a painful and almost angry looking red. Gilbert gulped, a bit nervous as to what they were supposed to do.

"We have to take the bullet out." Matthew informed him, letting out a quiet sigh. "If we don't then it'll get infected and you'll probably lose your hand." And god knows that they just couldn't let that happen. Gilbert needed his hand more than anything now. He needed it for guns, driving, just defending himself in general. And if that was taken away, there was almost no hope that he would live.

Gilbert quickly shook his head, denying quickly that his hand needed to be fixed. It was just that he was absolutely terrified of this! He knew that he was sort of just being a baby, but he knew this would be painful. Probably one of the most painful experiences in his life, but he just couldn't help it!

Matthew gave him a slightly reassuring smile as he reached up and stroked his cheek gently. "It's alright..." He assured softly, trying to make his voice sound as smooth as honey so that Gilbert could calm down enough so that he could remove the bullet from his hand. But right now the Prussian just wouldn't stop shaking, so he just needed to comfort him now, get him less worked up. "I'll make it real quick, alright? Then we can drive again..."

"Can I drive?" Gilbert muttered, his hand slowly beginning to still itself. Even though he already knew the answer, it was at least worth a shot to ask.

"No." Matthew said strictly as he continued to examine the wound with a slightly concerned expression on his features. He wanted to make this as painless for Gilbert as possible, but it seemed like that wasn't going to happen. Maybe he should just leave it in and pull it out later... Maybe it would be easier when the pain died down and the bleeding stopped.

No! The bullet needed to come out of the Prussian's hand and it needed to now. The easiest way would just be to quickly pull it out. Maybe that wouldn't be so painful. With a sigh, Matthew made up his mind. "No driving until your hand is better, trust me, I'm not as bad at driving as you think I am." He said with a soft chuckle as he shook his head. "Now, I'm going to pull the bullet out, alright? If you just hold still then I'll be done real quick."

Gilbert gulped a bit and mulled over the idea. Man, he really just wanted it to stop hurting and heal so he could drive! It really wasn't that he didn't trust Matthew, it was just that he didn't like it when other people drove his car, other than Ludwig, of course. It was his car as well. But he still didn't like to share. After a few moments of thinking he nodded. "Alright, just get it over with..." He muttered, looking away for a moment.

Matthew nodded a bit, gathering a water bottle. He should probably clense the wound first...but the only thing they had is water, and no medical supplies. Which surprised him a little bit. His parents had always kept an emergency kit in their car...

He shook the thought off and touched the bullet that was lodged into the other's hand. Luckily, it wasn't too deep inside, he could probably just grab it and pull it out without any problems. With a small sigh, he poured some water onto the wound, which made Gilbert flinch and groan in pain, before wiping gently at it, hopefully picking up some blood from the wound.

Gently, he pinched the edge of the bullet with his thumb and pointer finger, securely grasping it before slowly pulling it out, quickly looking up at Gilbert for a moment to see if he was in any sort of pain.

Gilbert groaned softly, biting his lip to keep the grunts of pain inside. He needed to look strong for Matthew, after all! He was a very strong man...a very strong...man... His thoughts teetered off for a moment as he felt tears begin to prick at the corners of his eyes. Man, he wasn't going to cry! He couldn't even remember the last time that he cried...! Oh wait... He had cried about an hour ago. God damn it. Whatever, this still hurt like hell!

Finally, after what seemed like hour after painful hour, the bullet was finally removed, and Matthew simply tossed the object out the window with a small sigh before looking back at Gilbert, a smile dawning on his lips. "See, now was that that bad?" He asked, laughing lightly as he reached over, patting his shoulder gently.

"Yes!" Gilbert muttered, leaning against the back seat with a small sigh as Matthew began to wrap up the wound with bloody rags since they had no gauze or medical tape to cover it with. Those would just have to do. "Can we please just get to driving again already?"

* * *

**I hate to end the chapter there, but...welp, I did anyways. Again, sorry this chapter is so late! I've honestly been doing nothing this whole time, ehehehe. Oops. Okay, well I'm sorry and reviews are very much appreciated! Until next time, I love all of you and I hope you have a fantastic day! Get some rest too!**


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